5 Gonzaga transfer portal targets from the West Coast Conference

Mark Few has continued to keep Gonzaga highly competitive in this new era of college athletics. The transfer portal and NIL have resulted in massive player movement each and every offseason, and this spring is no exception.

As of now, it looks like the Zags will have at least eight holes to fill on next year's roster - with five graduating seniors and three players already intending to enter the portal.

And while adding talent from conference rivals used to be extremely rare, it has become more commonplace in this wild, wild west era. That, combined with the fact that the WCC schools will no longer face Gonzaga in league play, as they transition into the new look Pac-12 in 2026-27, increases the likelihood of a WCC star coming to Spokane - as Michael Ajayi did in 2024-25 - by a significant margin.

It also doesn't hurt that many of the WCC's most talented players have already made public their intention to transfer, including quite a few who would clearly fit Gonzaga's needs on next year's squad.

Below is a look at five of those players, starting with an All-WCC First Team guard:

1. Christian Hammond, Guard, Santa Clara

Perhaps the biggest breakout star in the WCC this past year, Hammond went from redshirting at Santa Clara in 2024-25 to earning All-Conference First Team honors. The 6'4 guard dropped 15.6 points per game last year for the Broncos, while shooting an excellent 39.3% from beyond the arc.

Hammond's ability to get to his spots in the lane and hit floaters, while also knocking down outside shots and playing a pesky role defensively, makes him a great fit at Gonzaga - and he seems best suited playing off the ball, which would pair very nicely with Mario Saint-Supery.

2. Legend Smiley, Guard, San Francisco

Not only among the best-named players in college hoops, but Smiley is also a Seattle native who displays all the skills Gonzaga is looking for on next season's roster.

The 6'5 guard shot a scorching 42% from three on four attempts per game as a freshman last year for USF, starting 14 out of 33 games and playing 21.4 minutes a night. It's not hard to see how Smiley would fit as a two-guard alongside Mario Saint-Supery and Davis Fogle next year in Spokane, providing much-needed floor spacing while getting room to grow and develop in a faster-paced offense and in a strong Pac-12 conference.

3. Sash Gavalyugov, Guard, Santa Clara

Gonzaga's international pipeline continues to thrive, and adding Bulgarian guard Sash Gavalyugov alongside Spaniard Mario Saint-Supery and incoming German freshman Jack Kayil would further prove that.

Gavalyugov played just four games at Villanova as a freshman in 2024-25 but blossomed into a major part of Santa Clara's offense this past year, averaging 9.0 points and 2.7 assists in 20.1 minutes per game, while shooting 35.8% from three on 5.3 attempts per game.

His game-winner against Saint Mary's will live in Santa Clara lore and would help endear him to the Zag faithful should he decide to take his talents to Spokane.

4. Rodney Brown, Wing, LMU

Brown is a well-travelled 6'6 wing from Rancho Christian, the same high school Dominick Harris attended before starting his Gonzaga career in 2020-21.

Brown was at Cal in 2023-24 and Virginia Tech in 2024-25, playing roughly 14.5 minutes and averaging just under four points per game before making the trip back to California to play for Stan Johnson at LMU.

The move worked wonders for Brown, who started 30 of 31 games as a junior for the Lions and averaged 14 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. He also showed lethal outside shooting, drilling 38.2% of his 7.4(!) attempts per game. To put this into perspective, Brown's 87 made threes not only led the WCC last year, but it was 41 more than Gonzaga's team leader, Mario Saint-Supery, who made 48.

Brown's outside shooting prowess and positional size would fit well alongside Saint-Supery and Davis Fogle in Spokane in 2026-27.

5. Liam Campbell, Guard, Saint Mary's

A Saint Mary's to Gonzaga transfer may seem like an astronomical unlikelihood, but now that the two programs are no longer in the same conference - and with Randy Bennett out the door to Arizona State - this may not be as far-fetched as it seems.

While Paulius Murauskas, Mikey Lewis, and even Dillan Shaw are the higher-performing players, Campbell is a very solid fit with Gonzaga and has enough local ties to make this fit plausible.

The 6'5 wing grew up in Meridian, ID, and went to high school at nearby Owyhee. He developed into a 4-star recruit who initially committed to USC before decommitting and landing at Saint Mary's ahead of the 2024-25 season.

After redshirting, Campbell stepped into a reserve role for the Gaels this past year, appearing in 33 games and averaging 4.9 points in 14.7 minutes per game. The main thing that would draw Gonzaga to Campbell is his three-point shooting - as the redshirt sophomore canned a ridiculous 52% of his threes in 2025-26.

He also shot 80% from the free throw line and played solid perimeter defense - and while his name isn't among the flashiest, he could fill an immediate role for Gonzaga while playing closer to home and in a competitive Pac-12 conference.